Samhain Incense

SAMHAIN

1st November

The leaves are falling and the life force is in obvious retreat. Nature is preparing for its Winter sleep. The Sun God is dead and the Flower Goddess is mourning. But in the hidden depth of the underworld death works its alchemy of transformation. Imperceptibly it decomposes and regenerates so that the litter of leaves and debris become the fertile ground that will nourish next year's growth. The veils between the worlds are thin at this time of the year and life and death are but opposite poles of the same continuously regenerating life-force. Samhain is a time to honour the dead and to contemplate the mysteries of life, death and regeneration. It is a time to turn inwards and in the depth and silence of our souls we confront our shadows and our own mortality.

Everything has its season - there is a time to be born and a time to grow, a time to learn and a time to mature, there is a time to live and a time to die, a cycle of seasons that marks the passage of time. Each time of the year has its beauty and its special gifts, but inevitably the wheel must turn and the season will pass - until its time comes around again. The seasonal cycle gives rhythm to time. Today it is easy to ignore the necessities of time that dominated the lives of our ancestors until quite recently. It is easy to forget that time is not linear, but cyclical in nature and although we may ignore it, deep within our hearts we move to that same rhythm as the earth. Our ancestors could not escape the seasonal cycle as we can today. On the contrary, it was crucial to their survival. Naturally, they were much more keenly aware of the seasonal changes, which they celebrated with their annual festival cycle. In the Celtic traditions of northern Europe this cycle consisted of 8 festivals, the quarter days, which marked the equinoxes and solstices and the cross-quarter days, which marked the 'in-between times'. The cycle of the season was envisioned as the story of the Earth Goddess and Sun Child, which becomes her lover and husband and together they make the Earth fertile and abundant. At the Summer Solstice he reaches his peak and must die. His declining power still ripens the fruit, but by the time harvest comes he is dead. The life-force retreats and the Earth Goddess is mourning, until she realizes that she is pregnant. At Winter Solstice she gives birth to the Sun God once again. His power is restored and her womb is fertile once again and so the cycle of life starts all over. The seasonal festivals marked the ‘stations’ of the year. At these times we are at a threshold when time, for a moment seems to stand still and everybody, young and old came together to celebrate the cosmic drama of the Earth Goddess and the Sun King. For a brief interlude the rules and routines of everyday life were set aside and the focus of the community was directed towards the Gods and the changing balance of male and female forces in nature.

Magical Collections

Star Child Festival Incense contain purely natural substances such as fragrant herbs, flowers, resins, gums and wood chips that are infused with pure essential oils and absolutes. The symbols assigned to each type of incense indicate the ethereal nature of the special collections added to the respective blends and thus provide a reference to their magical qualities. Each blend contains ingredients that are appropriate to the associated deities and magical purposes for which they are intended. They are potentised with our Magical Collections gathered from various sacred sites in accordance with the cycles of the Sun and Moon.

The symbols assigned to each type of incense indicate the ethereal nature of the special collections added to the respective blends and thus provide a reference to their magical qualities.